Transportation

FAQ's

Q: Where can I find my child's bus information?

A: Bus information is found in each student's Infinite Campus record. Log into Infinite Campus here. Once logged in, click “more” on the left-hand side of the screen, and then click “Transportation”.

 Q: When should my child be at the bus stop?

A: Students should be at their bus stop 10 minutes prior to the bus time. This will reduce the chance of a student being injured running after the bus and will reduce the chance of missing the bus. Posted bus stop times are approximate and could occasionally vary due to sub drivers, weather, or unforeseen variables.

Q: Can my child use a different bus, for example, if they are going to go home with a friend?

A: Students are only permitted to use the bus they are assigned to.

Q: Is my child required to use the bus every day? Is (s)he required to use the bus both in the morning and afternoon?

A: Students are not required to use the bus daily, nor are they required to use the bus in both directions.

Q: Is my child allowed to get off the bus unattended?

A: An authorized adult is required to be at the bus stop to meet kindergarten students, but there is no such requirement for students in grades 1 – 12.

Q: What is the maximum allowable time my child can be on the bus?

A: New York State Education Law does not contain a maximum length of time a student is expected to be on a bus. That said, POB CSD uses 60 minutes as the maximum allowable time on the bus. Bus routes for schools within the district’s boundaries generally do not exceed 30 minutes in length.

Q: Can I request afternoon transportation for my child to go someplace other than my home (e.g., an after-school activity or a childcare location)? 

A: Transportation is arranged to and from a student’s primary residence only.

FAQs About Bus Stop Locations

Q: Can I ask for the bus to pick my child up at our home?

A: This service is referred to as “a house stop”. House stops are provided in some cases for students who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and / or 504 plans. If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, please contact your child’s school directly to discuss a house stop.

Q: The bus passes my house while on its route. Can it stop there?

A: It is very common for buses to pass student homes on the way to or from a bus stop. Drivers are only authorized to provide service at listed bus stops. 

Q: My child is the only child using the bus stop.  Can we change the stop location?

A: Bus stops locations were established by weighing several factors including safety considerations, routing consistency, and routing efficiency. Bus stops are used for all three school levels (elementary, middle, and high school) and typically encompass between a dozen and two dozen homes in the area. In some cases, for a particular school, there might be only one student using the bus stop, however, for consistency & efficiency purposes, we cannot change the stop location or add another stop.  

Q: What is the maximum allowable distance a bus stop can be from my home?

A: While New York State Education Law allows students of all grade levels to walk more than a half-mile to get to their bus stop, POB CSD uses shorter distance limits for most grade levels.  The maximum allowable distance to a bus stop varies by grade level. Please see Bus Stop Guidelines menu tab below for additional information.

Q: Can I ask for a bus stop location change?

A: Bus stop changes can be asked for, however, very few requests are accommodated. Current bus stops are at safe locations, and the walking distance for all families to all bus stops is within the distance limitations. After reviewing the FAQs about bus stop locations, and after reviewing the district’s bus stop guidelines, if you think a request is justified, please email the transportation office here.

Other General FAQs

Q: What should I do if my child leaves something on the bus?

A: Please first consider the item might have been left at school or at home (or someplace else).  However, if you have realistic reason to believe the item might have been left on the bus, please email the  transportation office here to inquire.  Please be sure to include your child’s name, the school they attend, the bus # they were on when they left the item and a description of the item(s) lost.

Q: How do I request transportation for my child who goes to a private or parochial school?

A: Full details about requesting transportation to private and parochial schools can be found within the Private/Parochial School tab.  As per New York State Education Law, the deadline to request transportation to a private or parochial school is April 1^st for the following school year.

 Q: Will the special transportation requirements on my child’s IEP or 504 plan be followed?

A: Yes. The Pupil Personnel Services Office, The Transportation Office and the schools all work very closely together to ensure individual student-specific needs are met.

If you still have any questions or concerns, please email the transportation office here or call 516.434.3074.

Private / Parochial School Transportation Request for the 2024-2025 School Year

If your child(ren) will be attending a private or parochial school during the 2024-2025 school year, you are required to submit a transportation application on or before April 1, 2025.

It’s possible transportation will not be provided for your child for one of the following reasons: (i) the distance from your home to the school is greater than 15 miles; (ii) the decision to enroll in a private or parochial school is made after April 1; (iii) the application is not submitted by April 1. If transportation is not provided for any of these reasons, the cost and responsibility for arranging transportation will rest with the parent/guardian. 

Transportation is not provided on the following days: Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, MLK Jr Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and any day declared as a public holiday by the POTUS or the Governor. Transportation is not provided for orientation days prior to the opening of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District. Transportation is not provided for private or parochial schools when the POB school district is closed due to inclement weather. When the POB school district operates on a delayed schedule due to inclement weather, the private and parochial buses will also operate under that delayed schedule.

If your child is new to the Plainview-Old Bethpage school district, (s)he must be registered before transportation can be applied for.  Click here to register your child. To reiterate, registering is only if your child is new to the district (e.g. an incoming kindergartner, if you will be moving here, or if you have recently moved here). 

The Plainview-Old Bethpage School District collects transportation applications electronically. We do not accept paper applications. The website will allow you to enter separate applications for each child. Applications do not carry over from school year to school year, new applications need to be submitted each year.

Listed below are the instructions on how to apply for transportation to a private or parochial school for the 2024-2025 school year:

At any time, you may log into Arbiter Sports to update your information and to check your registration(s). To view a completed registration, select the Registration tab in the blue menu bar at the top of your screen.

SUPPORT:

1. If you do not have an account with Arbiter Sports (formerly known as FamilyID), you’ll need to create one at this link.
   • Note: If you previously created a Family ID account, you do not need to create an additional account.
   • Note: Create the account with YOUR information (parent / guardian) not your child’s information.
2. THEN, after you have an activated account, please go directly to the Transportation Application page at this link.
3. Read the relevant information and then click the Register Now button.
4. Once on the registration form, the website will ask for “participant” information. This is your child, not you. All fields with a red * are required to have an answer.
5. Click the Continue button when your form is complete.
6. Review your application summary.
7. Click the blue Submit button. After selecting Submit, the registration will be complete. You will receive a completion email from Arbiter Sports confirming your application.
8. If you need technical assistance with registration, contact Arbiter Sports here or 1-800-311-4060
   • Support is available 5 days per week, Monday through Friday, and messages will be returned promptly.
   • For transportation assistance, contact Seth Brown via email here or 516-434-3074.

Log into Infinite Campus here

Once logged in, click “more” on the left-hand side of the screen, and then click “Transportation.”

NYSED qualifications and requirements for school bus drivers and attendants can be found at the link below.

NYSED Pupil Transportation

General Guidelines for Bus Stop Locations

Getting to the bus stop:

Bus Stop Locations

• Bus stop locations were established by weighing several factors, including safety considerations, routing consistency, and routing efficiency. Please understand we cannot consider individual family situations such as visibility of the bus stop from the home when determining bus stop locations.
• POB CSD intends to keep bus stop locations consistent for families throughout their time within the district.
• Bus stops will be on side streets whenever possible rather than on main roads.
• The number of students assigned to a bus stop will be kept at or below 15 students.  
• Students should assemble 15 feet away from where the bus stops and be off the road while waiting for the bus.
• Upon returning to their bus stops, students should disembark the bus and immediately walk to a point 15 feet away from the bus and off the road. If the student needs to cross the street the bus is on, (s)he must cross in front of the bus (not behind the bus) and wait for the signal from the driver to cross. Crossing fifteen feet in front of the bus will help ensure the driver has a good view of the student(s).
• Students and families are expected to be respectful of private property at and near the bus stop locations.
• Drivers are encouraged to stop 100 feet from a bus stop located at an intersection if warranted.
• Bus stops with limited visibility such as curves and hills are avoided when possible.

Bus Stops FAQ's

Q: Can I request a bus stop location change? 

A: Bus stop changes can be asked for. However, very few requests are accommodated. Current bus stops are at safe locations, and the walking distance for all families to all bus stops is within the distance guidelines. After reviewing the remaining FAQs about bus stop locations, if you think a request is justified, please email AskTransportation@POBschools.org.

Q: Can I request the bus to pick my child up at our home?

A: This service is referred to as a "house stop”. House stops are provided in some cases for students who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and / or 504 plans. If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, please contact your child’s school directly to discuss a house stop.

Q: The bus passes my house while on its route. Can it stop there?

A: It is very common for buses to pass by student homes on the way to or from a bus stop. Drivers are only authorized to provide service at listed bus stops. 

Q: My child is the only child using the bus stop.  Can we change the stop location?

A: Bus stops locations were established by weighing several factors including safety considerations, routing consistency, and routing efficiency. Bus stops are used for all three school levels (elementary, middle, and high school) and typically encompass between a dozen and two dozen homes in the area. In some cases, for a particular school, there might be only one student using the bus stop. However, for consistency & efficiency purposes, we cannot change the stop location or add another stop.  

Q: What is the maximum allowable distance a bus stop can be from my home?

A: While New York State Education Law allows students of all grade levels to walk more than a half-mile to get to their bus stop, POB CSD uses shorter distance limits for most grade levels.  The maximum allowable distance to a bus stop varies by grade level.

A useful resource for parents with regard to NYSED school bus laws and regulations can be found at the link below. 

NYSED School Bus Laws

Information about the Town of Oyster Bay School Bus Safety Program can be found at the link below.

Oyster Bay Information

Please always first try to contact the Plainview-Old Bethpage Transportation Office at (516) 434-3074. However, in an emergency, the phone #s of the bus companies we have contracts with are listed below. 

Transportation For Athletic Competitions

For assistance with transportation questions related to athletics, please contact our Athletics Department at (516) 434-3102.

Coach Bus Service is intended for round trip transportation of students and adults on school trips within the five boroughs, interstate and out of state from all the schools and offices under the jurisdiction of the Plainview Old Bethpage Central School District.  The following is the approved Coach Vendor POB staff should utilize when a charter coach service is required.  The drivers to be procured are all 19A certified and adhere to random drug testing.  The vehicles all meet NYS DOT regulations and ICC regulations.  For further information, please contact the Transportation Department (516) 434-3074.

Fantastic Tours
6143 Jericho Turnpike
Commack, NY 11725
(800) 552-6262 x 127
(631) 462-6262
Fax: (631) 462-2311

The Plainview-Old Bethpage school zones as of the 2024-2025 school year can be viewed on a map at the link below.  Please note the following:

1. The homes within the school zones for Pasadena Elementary and Stratford Rd Elementary will attend POB Middle School.
2. The homes within the school zones for Old Bethpage Elementary and Judy Jacobs Parkway (JJP) Elementary will attend Mattlin Middle School.
3. All homes within the district are zoned for POB-JFK High School.

Plainview-Old Bethpage School Zones Map

Zone changes as of the 2023-2024 school year

The streets listed below were re-zoned effective the 2023-2024 school year.  Those homes are now zoned for Judy Jacobs Parkway (JJP) Elementary school and Mattlin Middle School. 

Exceptions:

• If your family resides at one of the addresses below and had a child attending Stratford Rd Elementary school prior to the 23-24 school year, your family will have a choice of Stratford Rd or Judy Jacobs Parkway (JJP). 
• If your family resides at one of the addresses below, and had a child attending POB MS prior to the 23-24 school year, your family will have a choice of POB MS or Mattlin MS. 

School Crossing Guard Locations

The following locations are established in conjunction with arrival and dismissal times of our various schools.  Parents/Guardians should encourage students who walk to school to utilize these safe crossing locations and to follow the directions of the crossing guards at those locations.